1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to sport practice apparatuses and systems, and more particularly to volleyball training and monitoring apparatuses.
2. Description of Prior Art
In recent years volleyball has experienced tremendous growth in popularity, both as a spectator and as a participant sport. Numerous practice devices have been proposed and implemented for developing and polishing skills such as spiking, serving, blocking, jumping, and the like. Unfortunately all are significantly limited in function and application.
In the sport of volleyball spike plays, accurate hitting of the volley ball, and correct jumping and positioning are perhaps the most important and difficult skills to learn and perfect. It is difficult to coach and teach the skills required in volleyball since the plays involve quick striking and spiking of the volleyball often completed in a jumping position off of the floor. To be effective, the coach must be extremely vigilant and observant of the player's foot work, arm and trunk motion, and of course, where the struck ball goes. Of great importance are jumping height and position of the player, the quality of hit, and hand and wrist orientation at ball impact. All of these observations are difficult, if not impossible to make on a consistent basis. Moreover, prior to the present invention there was no practice apparatus available which could be aligned anywhere on a volleyball court, or elsewhere, where height, angle, and tension adjustments could be made to simulate delivery of the ball to anywhere on the court, and indicate a correct hit by its action.
Various volleyball practice apparatuses have been proposed and implemented. For example, training apparatuses have been developed to support a game ball at a selected elevation for practice purposes. A typical volleyball training apparatus includes an upright post extending from a weighted base. A lateral arm extends outward from the post to a ball support. Such apparatuses provide no means to adjust the height and/or tension of the ball, nor do they provide any feedback to the user to indicate when a correct or an incorrect hit has been made.
A further problem with current ball supporting apparatus is that the ball, to be positioned at the jump height of the user, necessitates use of a stepladder or chair beside the ball support in order to position the ball, which of course, is both obstructive and distractive to the user. Variations of such devices include the use of a tethered ball. In such devices, a volleyball is tethered to a tether line which is secured to the support and is restricted in movement, after being hit, by the tether line. This provides a solution of sorts to the loading problem, but adds further problems in that tethers do not allow the ball to move along its natural flight path, provide no means for height, angle, or tension adjustments of the ball, nor provide any feedback information to the user regarding the quality of the hit, spike, serve, etc., being practiced. Moreover, the tether type device has a tendency to inhibit or obstruct a hit or stroke to the correct impact area of the ball, which may in fact lead to diminished performance by the user of such devices.
Another genre of practice apparatus are the conventional ball setting apparatuses. Because the physical capabilities and height of individual players vary, the setting height of the ball for effective training must be easily and readily adjustable. Apparatuses which provide for such ready adjustments have not been previously available. Numerous forms of ineffective interlocking telescoping arrangements using set screw and the like have been utilized. While such apparatuses function adequately to select an operating height of the ball support, most are cumbersome and difficult to operate. Consequently, coaches and players often set such training devices at a preselected height thus requiring all players to practice at such height, which may have little or nothing to do with the height at which they need to practice.
Therefore, known apparatuses do not satisfactorily provide a volleyball practice means for practicing crucial aspects of the sport, such as spiking, serving, hitting, jumping, approach to the ball, and other crucial skills. Nor do known apparatuses provide for height, angle, or tension adjustments so as to simulate delivery of a volleyball to anywhere on the opposite side of the court, or have means to indicate a correct or incorrect hit by the apparatuses action.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved volleyball training and monitoring apparatus designed so that it can be aligned anywhere on a court and including height, angle, and tensions adjustment means enabling the user to simulate delivery of a ball to anywhere on the opposite side of the court.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide a volleyball training and monitoring apparatus with means to indicate directly to the user whether a correct or an incorrect hit has been made.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.